Germany - 'Big Mike' big addition

From: belmontvision.com
View source article here.
By Linda Johansson

It's hard not to notice the 6-foot-11-inch addition to the men's basketball team.

Not only is "the German guy," Mike Dejworek, the tallest man on the Bruins squad, he runs like a gazelle and is the only Bruin who can look back at a career on a national team.

While Dejworek was born in Ulm, Germany, his mother is Swedish and his father is Polish. They met in Europe while his father played professional basketball for the Polish National Team.

"My dad played in Poland for a long time," Dejworek said. "He played 65 matches for the national team before moving to Germany."

Once settled in Germany, his father changed his profession to work as a coach and to be certain he involved his sons in basketball. Dejworek's older brother Philip played for the Pilots at the University of Portland and has continued his basketball career in Europe.

"Right now he's in Sweden playing professionally," Dejworek said.

Having a coach as a father and an older brother playing basketball, Dejworek made his first appearance on the court early. He continued playing basketball at a German high school before moving to the United States his junior year.

"The school was easier in the U.S.," Dejworek said. "I wasn't doing well in the German school."

While playing high school basketball, Dejworek was recommended by a friend of head coach Rick Byrd. Assistant coaches Roger Idstrom and Casey Alexander went to see Dejworek, but they had difficulties evaluating him.

"The high school didn't use him the way we wanted to use him," Byrd said. "We didn't get to see his skill as it pertains to our way of playing offense."

Byrd decided to personally go and watch Dejworek play. Despite the problem with evaluation, Byrd was impressed by Dejworek's size, good hands and his activeness on court.

"We felt that Mike could become the kind of offensive player we wanted ... without actually seeing it," Byrd said.

Before making Dejworek the offensive player Byrd wanted him to become, he first had to make him a Bruin. Many schools showed interest in the tall foreigner and when the time was drawing near to choose a school, Dejworek narrowed it down to two universities.

"It was a decision between Belmont and Hawaii," Dejworek said. "I chose Belmont because I liked the team atmosphere."

Teammate Boomer Herndon said he is glad for Dejworek's choice and sees great potential in the new Bruin.

"He has all the tools to be a really good player because he's tall and athletic," Herndon said. "He has more potential than me coming in."

In addition, Herndon said Dejworek would make a great Bruin because he always works hard at practice. He's also a "good shooter with a good feeling for the game."

"He knows the game because he's a coach's son," Herndon said.

In 2004, Dejworek represented Germany in the European Championships for the country's U-18 national team. He faced strong players from Russia and Turkey who play NBA ball today. His experience in Europe makes his game different from other players on the team, Byrd explained. The more physical American way of play requires Dejworek to make some adjustments.

"We're trying to get him to use his size and make contact with the defensive player," Byrd said. "He's just not used to playing that way so it's a learning curve."

Dejworek, who plays in the number 23 jersey, will be backing up Herndon and Andrew Preston at center. Preston said he feels very comfortable having Dejworek as a backup.

"He always has an open ear for comments or improvement and he takes those to heart," Preston said.

Being a senior, Preston wants first and foremost to teach Dejworek the work ethic that it takes to compete on the Belmont team. In addition, he wants him to learn to be patient in the post as well as to understand how Belmont's offense and defense are supposed to work.

"There can be a lot of stress on the post sometimes," Preston said. "But if he learns the right moves he should be fine."


Byrd is worried about Dejworek not redshirting this season because Herndon and Preston, who have been at Belmont a long time, will play ahead of him.

"He has two seniors in front of him so he will have a hard time getting minutes this year," Byrd said. "However, his lack of minutes played is not a reflection of how good he is right now."

Dejworek is confident he made the right decision not redshirting. He sees having Herndon and Preston in front of him as an inspiration to work harder.

"If I did redshirt, I wouldn't be as motivated to work hard," Dejworek said. "The fact that I have two seniors in front of me makes me want to get better."

Despite Dejworek's good attitude, Byrd hopes he doesn't get discouraged by the lack of playing time. At the same time, Dejworek hopes his minutes will increase, but most importantly he is looking forward to wearing the Belmont red and blue.

"I hope I get to play more as I progress and be an important part of the team," Dejworek said.